Merab Gagunhasvili and Elisabeth Paehtz, visiting Coney Island, NY on their way to the World Open. Photo Elizabeth Vicary

The match-ups were fierce in the Open section of the World Open (June 28-July 4, King of Prussia, PA) from the first round, partly because of the U2400 section. The biggest upset so far is Thomas Bartell's victory over GM Yury Shulman.
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The World Open (June 28-July 4) begins today at King of Prussia, PA. Exciting features of this event include an U2400 section and a $30,000 projected grand prize in the Open. Keep Monroi bookmarked for live games, and watch CLO for updates.
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Brian Goldstein wins a spot in the 2008 U.S. Junior via his win on tiebreak over Edward Lu in the U21 section of the U.S. Junior Open (Tampa, Florida June 22-24.) Meanwhile, Miguel Fonseca wins Under 16, Haoqing Wang and Jared Lassner win Under 12, and Miguel A. Hernandez takes Under 8.
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Mackenzie Molner and Mark Arnold lead the Junior Invitational (June 17-21, Tampa) with 5/7 and two rounds to go. The concurrent Cadet is down to the wire with just one round left. Evan Ju dominated for most of the event but lost to Warren Harper in round seven- Harper and Ju are now tied for first with Robert Lau just half a point behind.
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Evan Ju (seated,left) helping out at a local elementary school. Photo courtesy William Ju

Despite a fifth round stumble against Alec Getz, Evan Ju continues to impress at the Cadet Championship (June 17-21, Tampa), leading by 1.5 points with 5/6. In the Juniors, held concurrently, Marc Arnold and Mackenzie Molner still lead by the narrowest of margins, with 3.5/5.
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Marc Arnold and Mackenzie Molner lead the U.S. Junior Invitational with 3-1 each. Photos Betsy Dynako and Jennifer Shahade.

In the Cadet Championships, Evan Ju is a clear point and a half ahead of the field with a perfect four out of four. The Junior Invitational has been a slugfest and it's anyone's tournament. Mackenzie Molner and Marc Arnold currently lead with 3/4.
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2007 Samford Fellow IM Josh Friedel reports on the highs and lows of his active chess spring, including a first round loss to Nakamura in the U.S. Championships and a win over new U.S. Champ Shabalov at the Chicago Open.

Florida local Corey Acor gets off to a running start at the U.S. Junior (June 17-21) in Tampa. He is the only 2-0, having scored back to back wins in rounds 1 and 2 against Teddy Coleman and Ryan Milisits. Watch the games from the Junior and the Cadet live on monroi.com.
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